It appears the 49ers will pursue all possibilities to solve their pass-rush woes.

With the expectation that they will address their biggest need in both free agency and the draft, the NFL Network reported the 49ers, along with the Packers, are “expressing interest” in trading for Kansas City edge rusher Dee Ford.

It’s been reported the Chiefs would take a second-round pick in exchange for Ford. The 49ers have the fourth pick, No. 36 overall, in the second round. The Packers have picks No. 30 and No. 44.

Ford, who will turn 28 on March 19, ranked seventh in the NFL in sacks (13) and had a league-high seven forced fumbles last year in his career-best season. The 49ers’ top edge rusher, Cassius Marsh, had 5.5 sacks last year, with 4.5 coming in two games, and the 49ers’ seven takeaways set an NFL record for fewest in a season.

The Chiefs have placed the franchise tag on Ford, which would pay him $15.4 million in 2019. They are reportedly considering trading him to create salary cap space and due to questions about his ability to effectively transition from outside linebacker in a 3-4 defense to defensive end in the 4-3 scheme they are introducing this year.

The 49ers run a 4-3, a system in which Ford played at Auburn. Ford was the No. 23 pick in 2014 after he was a first-team all-SEC pick in his final college season.

“I was a 4-3 end first,” Ford told the Kansas City Star in January when asked about his fit in the Chiefs’ new defense. “It’ll be nothing for me to press play and go back to those days.”

Ford’s career had been marked by inconsistency before he earned his first Pro Bowl berth in 2018. He had 17.5 sacks in his first four seasons, collecting 10 in 2016. He played just six games in his two-sack season in 2017 while dealing with a back injury.

If the 49ers trade for Ford, they could be more inclined to trade the No. 2 overall pick in the draft, partly to offset whatever draft-pick compensation they lose in acquiring him. The 49ers currently have just six picks, including four among the top 175. With Ford, they wouldn’t have such a desperate need for an edge rusher, which is a strength of a 2019 draft in which pass rushers Nick Bosa and Josh Allen are among the best prospects.

The cost of acquiring Ford would be high given the 49ers would have to surrender a premium draft pick and assume his franchise-tag salary (or sign him to a lucrative contract extension). Ford’s teammate, Pro Bowl pass rusher Justin Houston, 30, reportedly will be released before free agency begins Wednesday and has a stronger resume than Ford, if not his upside.

But it’s not surprising the 49ers are at least exploring the possibility of trading for Ford.

Last year, they offered a competitive trade package for pass rusher Khalil Mack, which Lynch has suggested exceeded what the Bears gave the Raiders in compensation. Head coach Kyle Shanahan acknowledged they also looked into acquiring edge rusher Dante Fowler at last year’s trade deadline before the Jaguars dealt him to the Rams.

Eric Branch has worked at the San Francisco Chronicle since 2011 as the 49ers beat writer. Before that, he covered the 49ers for the Santa Rosa Press Democrat in 2010. Since he began his career in journalism in 1997 in Logansport, Ind., he’s covered events ranging from archery tournaments to the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament.